The big idea: Nine questions, one on each of the nine introductory traditions, in three sections matching the three columns.
You answer five, and at least one must come from each section. 1 hour 15 minutes, 45 marks, 30% of your grade.
| Section | Questions | The traditions |
|---|---|---|
| A | 1, 2, 3 | Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism |
| B | 4, 5, 6 | Judaism, Christianity, Islam |
| C | 7, 8, 9 | Taoism, Jainism, Bahá'í Faith |
Why the order is worth knowing: It never changes. Question 7 is always Taoism; question 4 is always Judaism.
If your school taught five traditions, you already know which five numbers are yours before you open the paper — and you know the two spares you can fall back on.
The rule that catches people out: You may not answer five questions from Section A, even if those are the five you know best.
At least one from each section. Answer five from two sections and the fifth simply does not count.
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Every one of the nine has the same three pieces. Step through them below, and notice how little time part (a) deserves.
One paper 1 question, and roughly where the fifteen minutes go.
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Fifteen minutes each, and that is all: Five questions in 75 minutes. Part (a) is worth a third of part (b)'s marks, so it should take about a third of the time.
Writing a paragraph for a 3-mark bullet-point question is the commonest way to run out of time on this paper.
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What part (a) is asking: Knowledge and understanding of a key idea or concept associated with the text.
It is not asking for your view, for an explanation, or for anything outside the passage.
Three moves, three marks
Name the concept in the tradition's own term
If the passage is about release from rebirth, write moksha or nirvana as appropriate. The examiner is looking for the term, and the markscheme lists it.
Say what it means, briefly
One clause. "Moksha — liberation from samsara and from the consequences of karma." That is a complete mark, and nothing is gained by lengthening it.
Give a third, separate point
Three marks usually means three different points, not one idea in three outfits. A related teaching, a consequence, or a second term in the passage.
Name it, define it, add a second thing — then stop.
What earns the mark
- The tradition's own term, spelled correctly
- A short, accurate gloss
- Points that are genuinely separate from each other
- Bullet points — explicitly allowed
What wastes the time
- A paragraph of explanation — that is part (b)'s job
- Restating one idea three ways
- Your own view on whether the belief is true
- Anything not connected to the passage
How this is tested. The paper does not test your choosing — but a bad choice costs marks that no amount of writing recovers.
First 60 seconds
- Read all nine passages, not the questions
- Mark the three you must have — one per section
- Then pick your best two from anywhere
What makes a question easy
- You recognise the concept, not just the tradition
- You can name a school or denomination that holds it
- You have an example ready for part (b)
What makes one a trap
- You know the tradition but not this passage's idea
- You would have to hedge the whole of part (b)
- You cannot name a single example
Answer your section-C question first: Section C — Taoism, Jainism, Bahá'í Faith — is the one most schools teach least and most students leave until last.
Do it while you are fresh. The four you know well will still be there.